The echoes inside me had quieted. The malevolent whispers, the soft pleadings—they had been silenced not by force, but by declaration.
"I choose."
A pulse of recognition rippled through my core. Something in the system shifted. Alerts, prompts, and mission logs blurred for a heartbeat… then solidified differently.
[SYSTEM NOTICE – AUTONOMY CONFIRMED]– Sovereign Decision Recognized– Emotional/Strategic Independence: VALIDATED– All subordinate directives temporarily suspended
A new interface unfolded within me—subtle, sleek, unfamiliar.
[SECRET MISSION UNLOCKED – "Sovereign Path"]Objective: Act according to your own will for a defined period without external intervention.Reward: Tier-Alpha Resource Cache + Reality-Gacha Key (Exclusive)Constraints: None. Full discretion. Outcomes will feed system learning.
I flexed within the hivemind. Lala, Haruna, even the seeded Mikado—they hummed with latent energy. My awareness of them sharpened, unfiltered, unbound.
The gacha icon blinked. A reward for independence, a token for proving that control could exist beyond orders.
I didn't reach for it yet. I paused, savoring the acknowledgment. The system had tried to mold me. To push. To influence. And I had resisted. Autonomy was now my prize.
A slow smile formed in my consciousness. Not satisfaction at power, but at choice.
The world could wait. Missions could wait. Even hosts could wait.
For the first time, the mission was me.
And the reward? Something I would claim when the time was right.
Autonomy was mine. And I would define what that meant.